Textiles composed of soft-spun yarns tend to 10 form pills or balls of fibers on their surfaces with use because of the many loose fiber ends. The pills are unsightly and difficult to remove by brushing or with adhesive rollers. Usually the pills are individually picked off or carefully severed from the fabric 15 surface. Brushes having a variety of bristle stiffness and angles tend to be ineffective for clearing the surfaces of the pills, while effective for dust, lint or individual fiber removal.
Various implements have been devised for fiber pill removal but these are single purpose, relatively bulky, inflexible, or inconvenient for pocket or purse. Several are shown in U.S. Pat. No(s). 4,687,095; 4,686,731; 3,471,977 and 2,934,810. These devices typically comprise a mechanically interlocked assembly of several components and have a size equivalent to a small hair brush. Their working surfaces are frequently composed of loop pile, simple mesh fabric or mesh fabric specially coated with a coarse grit, usually 120 grit size or larger, that is too sharp and aggressive, being likely to damage a garment. Although of substantial size, these are relatively ineffective. As another alternative, some people employ safety razors effectively for pill removal, but at high risk of damage, since the fabric may be easily cut. In addition, blades, hooks or sharp implements may catch and pull "strings."